In OUTLOOK 2007 BASICS FOCUS WPL_O70 Outlook 2007 is a time and information management program that helps you to manage your day-to-day tasks and information quickly and effectively. This chapter covers some of the basic principles and navigation methods to help you get up and running with Outlook 2007 as quickly as possible. In this session you will: gain an overview of what Outlook 2007 is used for learn how to start Outlook 2007 gain an overview of the common Outlook 2007 screen elements learn how to use the Go menu to go to specific Outlook 2007 features learn how to navigate to specific features of Outlook 2007 learn how to customise the Navigation Pane learn how to work with the To-Do Bar to help manage your time and priorities gain an overview of the Mail screen gain an overview of the Calendar screen gain an overview of the Contacts screen gain an overview of the Tasks screen gain an overview of the Notes screen learn how to display and hide toolbars gain an overview of how to customise toolbars and menus gain an overview of the Outlook Today screen learn how to exit from Outlook 2007. Watsonia Publishing Page Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
UNDERSTANDING OUTLOOK 2007 Microsoft Outlook is designed to help you manage the way that you organise the day-to-day aspects of your business and personal life and the way that you interact with other computer users. You can use it to communicate with others, to keep track of your appointments and meetings and to manage the contact details of individuals or businesses. Key Features of Outlook 2007 Microsoft Outlook is both a personal information manager and electronic messaging system rolled into one. Outlook can be used to keep track of your diary, hold the contact details of your customers, suppliers and associates, schedule meetings, send messages, and generally keep track of things you have to do. To do this, Outlook 2007 provides you with five main tools. These are Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes. These tools work together, as well as independently to provide you with a useful package known as Outlook 2007. Tool Mail Calendar Contacts Tasks Notes Function Allows you to manage electronic mail. You use this aspect of Outlook 2007 to send messages and to receive them from others. These messages can either be ones sent from within your own organisation (internal e-mail) or externally using the Internet. Provides you with an electronic diary which can also be used to schedule and plan meetings with other people connected to your computer system or over the Internet. Allows you to manage business and personal contacts by recording the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail details of people such as colleagues, customers, suppliers, friends, relatives, and the like. Provides you with a To-Do list. You can also use it to prioritise tasks and to delegate them to others and track how many of them have been completed. Allows you to type memory jogging notes into your computer so that you can refer to them again later. There are several other subsidiary tools in Outlook 2007 that you may find useful. These include the Journal, which allows you to locate files and other documents that have been used on your computer, and Outlook Today, which allows you to see what messages you have, what you need to do, and other important information, in one handy screen. How Outlook 2007 Is Used Outlook 2007 can be opened and used as required, or it can be left open and operating behind the scenes while you are working with other applications. Generally, it is left open so that new mail and invitations can be received at any time. Outlook can then notify you even if you are working with another application. Since it is designed to allow you to communicate with other people, Outlook will operate on both your network and Internet connections. Watsonia Publishing Page 2 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
STARTING OUTLOOK 2007 Because e-mail is such an important part of using a computer, there are quite a few ways that you can use to start Outlook 2007. One of the easiest, however, is to use the Windows Start menu which is accessed by clicking on the Start button at the bottom of the Windows screen. Outlook 2007, in the guise of the E-mail command, will usually appear there. Try This Yourself: Before starting this exercise ensure that your computer is switched on and that Microsoft Windows has started... Click on the Windows [Start] button located at the bottom left of the screen to display the Start menu Click on the E-mail command found towards the top of the menu In some (but not all) installations a dialog box asking you to log on to the mail system may appear If the log on dialog box appears type your user name and password Click on [OK] to start Outlook 2007 For Your Reference To start Outlook 2007:. Click on the Windows [Start] button 2. Click on E-mail Handy to Know If the E-mail option isn t on the Start menu, click on All Programs at the bottom of the menu, click on Microsoft Office, and then click on Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. Watsonia Publishing Page 3 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
COMMON OUTLOOK 2007 SCREEN ELEMENTS Outlook 2007 can do so many different things for you and as a consequence its screen is probably the most interesting of all. No two Outlook 2007 screens will ever appear alike because of how Outlook 2007 works, what data it receives, and what functions a person prefers to use regularly. Nevertheless your screen will have many of the key features as shown below. 6 2 3 4 7 5 Title Bar Menu Bar Toolbar Navigation Pane Status Bar Resizing Buttons To-Do Bar displays the name of the feature that you are currently using, followed by Microsoft Outlook. provides commands for performing operations on your data in Outlook. For example, click on the File menu option to access commands for filing and printing, or click on the Edit menu to access commands for copying, pasting, deleting, etc. provides an alternative to using the Menu Bar. Toolbars contain tools, or buttons, that allow you to use the mouse to easily perform many of the operations that are available on the Menu Bar. provides a quick way of switching between the various Outlook features such as the Mail, Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, etc. indicates what is going on in Outlook at the present moment. It also changes depending upon the menu option that you are using and the tool that you are working with. allow you to minimise (make smallest), maximise (make largest), restore down (return to the size between minimise and maximise), and close the application window. integrates your follow-up messages, tasks and appointments in one central location Watsonia Publishing Page 4 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
GOING TO OUTLOOK 2007 FEATURES Outlook 2007 allows you to use the Go menu to go to various features within Outlook 2007. While the Go command is not the most direct or easiest method for navigating Outlook 2007, it is, however, always there simply because it is one of the menu options. Other navigation aids can be turned on and off and do not always appear on the screen. Try This Yourself: Before starting this exercise ensure that Outlook 2007 has started... Select Go > to display the Go menu Select Calendar to display the calendar feature of Outlook 2007 Use the Go menu to go to the following: Contacts Tasks Notes 4 Select Go > Folder to display the Go to Folder dialog box Click on Junk E-mail and click on [OK] to display the folder that contains junk e-mail Select Go > Folder, click on Inbox and click on [OK] to display the Inbox folder where incoming e-mail is seen For Your Reference To go to an Outlook feature using the menu:. Select Go 2. Select the feature you wish to go to Handy to Know The options on the Go menu can also be accessed using the keyboard. The keyboard shortcuts are displayed on the Go menu to the right of each feature, such as + for Mail and + for Calendar. Watsonia Publishing Page 5 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
NAVIGATING TO OUTLOOK 2007 FEATURES By far the easiest way to navigate to specific features in Outlook 2007 is to use the Navigation Pane which appears to the left of the screen. The Navigation Pane normally displays a folder list and a series of buttons which provide access to the Outlook 2007 features. The Navigation Pane can be displayed or hidden from view, and can be resized to display larger or smaller buttons. Try This Yourself: 2 4 Before starting this exercise ensure that Outlook 2007 has started... If you can t see the Navigation Pane at the left of the screen select View > Navigation Pane and Normal Click on the Calendar button in the Navigation Pane Click on the Contacts button in the Navigation Pane Move the mouse pointer onto the blue bar (with the dots on it), hold down the left mouse button and drag the button down so that only Mail, Contacts and Calendar appear as large buttons Drag the blue bar up until all of the folder buttons are displayed Click on the Mail button to display the Mail feature Click on the Configure buttons icon on the Navigation pane and select Navigation Pane Options 7 The Navigation Pane Options dialog box can be used to turn folders on or off on the Navigation Pane Click [OK] to close the dialog box without making changes For Your Reference To navigate to Outlook 2007 features:. Ensure the Navigation Pane is displayed (select View > Navigation Pane) 2. Click on the various feature buttons in the pane, such as Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes Handy to Know As you resize the Navigation Pane the feature buttons either increase or decrease in size. When they are small they appear as smaller icon buttons at the bottom of the Navigation Pane. Watsonia Publishing Page 6 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE NAVIGATION PANE The Navigation Pane appears in all views by default. It is often the focal point of Outlook as it is where you can access each of the features, such as Mail, Calendar, etc. Sometimes, however, you may wish to turn the Navigation Pane off or reduce its size so that you have a greater area of the screen to work with information, such as your e-mail lists, etc. Try This Yourself: Before starting this exercise ensure that Outlook 2007 has started... Click on the Minimise the Navigation Pane button to minimise it to a single column on the left of the screen 3 Use the buttons on the Navigation Pane to access the Calendar and then Contacts Right mouse click on the main area of the Navigation Pane and select Normal from the shortcut menu Now minimise the Navigation Pane again, right mouse click on the pane and select Off Click on the View menu and select Navigation Pane and Normal to turn the Navigation Pane back on 5 Minimise the Navigation Pane and then click the Expand the Navigation Pane button to maximise the pane Right mouse click on Mail on the Navigation Pane and select Navigation Pane Options You can use these options to turn off/on different fetures in your Navigation Pane 6 Click [Cancel] For Your Reference To customise the Navigation Pane:. Click on the Minimise the Navigation Pane button to reduce the Navigation Pane 2. Click on the Expand the Navigation Pane button to maximise the pane 3. Right mouse click on the Navigation Pane to use any of the shortcut options Handy to Know When you expand the minimised Navigation Pane, the Navigation Pane is reset to the same width as it was previously. If you exit Outlook with the Navigation Pane collapsed into the minimised Navigation Pane, it appears that way when you restart Outlook. Watsonia Publishing Page 7 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics 4
THE TO-DO BAR The To-Do Bar integrates your tasks, e-mails flagged for follow up, forthcoming appointments and calendar information in one central place on the screen. It can also include tasks from Office OneNote 2007, Project 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services websites. The To-Do Bar consolidates in one view all your priorities so that you can easily manage and track them. Try This Yourself: Before starting this exercise ensure that Outlook 2007 has started... Click on the Minimise the To- Do Bar button to reduce it to a single line so that more of the main screen is displayed If you have any appointments or tasks displayed in your minimised To-Do Bar, you can click on any of them to expand out the To-Do Bar... 4 Alternatively, click any area of the minimised To-Do Bar to expand the bar Right mouse click on the To- Do Bar and select Off Click on the View menu, select To-Do Bar and then click Normal Right mouse click on the To- Do Bar and turn off the Appointments and the Task List Now turn these items back on again Right mouse click on the To- Do Bar, select Options, increase the Number of appointments to 4 and then click [OK] 5 7 For Your Reference To minimise or expand the To-Do Bar:. Click on the Minimise the To-Do Bar to reduce it 2. Click on the Expand the To-Do Bar to maximise it 3. Right mouse click on the To-Do Bar to change any of its settings Handy to Know You can drag the left border of the To-Do Bar to make it wider. By doing this, you can not only see more of your appointment and task information but you may also see another month or two of calendar information at the top of the To-Bar view. Watsonia Publishing Page 8 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics 4
THE MAIL SCREEN The Mail screen in Outlook 2007 is used to manage your e-mail, both incoming (received from someone else) or outgoing (sent to another person). The Mail screen can be configured to show various amounts of information and details about messages. 2 3 4 5 Standard Toolbar Mail Navigation Pane Message View Reading Pane To-Do Bar The Standard Toolbar provides tools to help you when working with a specific feature, such as Mail, Calendar, etc. For example, if you are working with Mail, the Standard Toolbar will provide commands to help you reply to messages, delete messages, forward them, print them, etc. The Mail Navigation pane displays a series of folders specific to e-mail and e- mail operations. These folders are a little bit like the trays you keep on your desk for messages. There is an Inbox folder which lists all of the messages that have been sent to you, a Sent Items folder which lists the messages that you have sent to others, and an Outbox which is a temporary folder where messages are stored before they have been sent by the system. The Message View displays the messages that are in the current folder. Normally you can only view one folder at a time and the one you are looking at is the current folder. A folder is made current by clicking on its name in the Navigation Pane. All of the messages for the folder will be displayed in the Message View. These messages can be arranged in a specific order and even listed in specific groupings. Messages that have not yet been sent or read appear in bold. The Reading Pane (which is optional) displays the contents of the message currently highlighted in the Message View. The Reading Pane allows you to read the contents of messages without having to open them in their own specific window. The minimised To-Do Bar Watsonia Publishing Page 9 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE CALENDAR SCREEN The Calendar screen in Outlook 2007 is designed to allow you to create a calendar or diary of events. These events appear in a calendar layout style allowing you to quickly see the start and finish times for these events. You can also set alarms against events so that Outlook 2007 will remind you when they are imminent. 2 3 4 Calendar View Monthly Calendar Calendar Selection The main calendar page contains three buttons which can be used to change the view between a day view, week or month. The Monthly Calendar allows you to quickly navigate to a specific day simply by clicking on the date in the Monthly Calendar. When you click on a date the calendar for that day will appear in the right pane. The Calendar Selection allows you to choose which calendars to display in the right of the screen. In the example above there are 2 calendars on display. Outlook 2007 allows you to display multiple calendars on the screen. Calendar The Calendar area is where the calendar or calendars appear. In Outlook 2007 you can display multiple calendars and these can be either private (accessible only to the current user) or shared. Shared calendars allow you to display calendars for groups of people such as those working on a specific task or project. Watsonia Publishing Page 0 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE CONTACTS SCREEN The Contacts screen in Outlook 2007 provides information about people and organisations that you deal with. The listing can be displayed in a variety of ways and allows you to capture a wide range of information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. Not only can you manage your contacts in Outlook but you can also link the data with other programs too. 2 3 4 Standard Toolbar Contacts View Contact Contacts Navigation The Standard Toolbar displays tools that provide commands relevant to the Contacts section of Outlook 2007. You can use these tools to add a contact, dial a contact, flag the contact card, etc. The Contacts View area allows you to tell Outlook 2007 how to display the contact information. In the example above contacts are displayed as electronic business cards. However, you can list them in an address card format, by company or location order, etc, etc. A Contact is displayed normally in an alphabetical listing. You can doubleclick on a contact here to see more details about the contact. The Contacts Navigation area consists of a number of alphabetical buttons. These buttons are used to display the contacts in alphabetical groupings. For example, if you click on the letter E, all of the contacts whose names begin with E will be displayed. Watsonia Publishing Page Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE TASKS SCREEN The Tasks screen in Outlook 2007 is designed as a place to record and track tasks. It is, in essence, a To-Do listing. The Tasks screen can be used to display tasks in chronological order and it is where you can mark off tasks as they are in progress and those that are completed. Tasks created on this screen are also displayed on the To-Do Bar that appears on the right of the screen. 2 3 Standard Toolbar Tasks View Tasks The Standard Toolbar displays tools that provide commands relevant to the Tasks section of Outlook 2007. You can use these tools to find a task, delete an unwanted task, complete a task, etc, etc. The Tasks View area allows you to view the tasks in a variety of ways. The default view is Simple List which displays the tasks in chronological order. However, you can also filter the tasks so that only active (unfinished) tasks appear, or only completed tasks appear. The Tasks area displays a list of tasks, such as those that have not yet been completed. Watsonia Publishing Page 2 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE NOTES SCREEN The Notes screen in Outlook 2007 is used to jot down and manage short notes. These notes can be anything that you like such as short simple memory joggers, telephone numbers, receipt numbers, prices, shopping lists, and more. In many ways the Notes section is like Post-It notes you use on the desk. 2 3 Standard Toolbar Notes View Notes The Standard Toolbar displays tools relevant to the operation of the Notes section. There are tools here which allow you to display the notes as large or small icons, to find notes, and to delete notes. The Notes View area allows you to view the notes organised in specific ways. For example you can view the notes by colour (different colours can be applied to notes to help categorise them). The Notes themselves appear in the main part of the window. When you double click on one of the notes it will open in a window and will look very similar to a Post-It type of note that you use on your desk. Watsonia Publishing Page 3 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
DISPLAYING AND HIDING TOOLBARS Microsoft Outlook, like all other Office applications, has a number of toolbars that can be displayed or hidden. These toolbars normally exist at the top of the screen and will change according to which feature you are using, such as Mail, Calendar, Tasks, etc. Try This Yourself: Select View > Toolbars to display the list of available toolbars Click on Advanced to see the Advanced toolbar on display Select View > Toolbars > Web to display the Web toolbar Toolbars are hidden using the same techniques Select View > Toolbars to display the list of toolbars the ones with the ticks are currently on display 2 Click on Advanced to hide the Advanced toolbar Select View > Toolbars > Web to hide the Web toolbar 4 For Your Reference To display/hide toolbars:. Select View > Toolbars to display the list of toolbars 2. Click on a ticked toolbar to hide it, or an unticked toolbar to display it Handy to Know You can also right click on a toolbar to see a list of available toolbars. Watsonia Publishing Page 4 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
CUSTOMISING TOOLBARS Outlook toolbars can be customised to suit your own working requirements. You can create new toolbars, add commands/buttons to a toolbar and change some of the toolbar characteristics. Toolbars are particularly useful when you re working in the main Outlook screen. Once you re within a feature, such as a mail message, the Ribbon becomes available. Accessing the Customise Dialog Box In the main Outlook screen, select View> Tools> Customise. The Customise dialog box will be displayed. The Commands Tab Use the Commands tab to add commands/buttons to existing toolbars. Simply select a category in the Categories list and then drag the relevant command from the Commands list onto the appropriate toolbar. Once the new button appears on the toolbar, you can click on it and then use the [Modify Selection] button on the Commands tab to change its characteristics. You can also use the [Rearrange Commands] button to change the order in which commands appear, either on menus or toolbars. The Toolbars Tab Use the Toolbars tab to turn toolbars on or off. You can also create new toolbars, rename existing ones, delete a toolbar or reset a toolbar back to its default settings. The Options Tab Use the Options tab to control some of the toolbar or menu characteristics. Using the Other section on this tab, you can make icon buttons larger, show ScreenTips and control the menu animations. Watsonia Publishing Page 5 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
THE OUTLOOK TODAY SCREEN The Outlook Today page provides a preview of your day. By using Microsoft Outlook Today, you can see a summary of your appointments, a list of your tasks, and how many new e-mail messages you have. You can set this page to be the first page that opens when you start Outlook, and you can change the way Outlook Today appears. 4 5 2 3 If you use a Personal Folders file (.pst) as your mailbox, in the Navigation Pane, click the name of the.pst file to view your Outlook Today page. If you use a Microsoft Exchange account when working with Outlook 2007, in the Navigation Pane, click Mailbox - Your name to view your Outlook Today page. The Calendar area shows a summary of your appointments for today as well as appointments for a designated number of days after today s date. The Tasks area shows you all tasks or can be customised to show only tasks that need to be worked on today. The Messages area shows you a count of the number of unread messages in your Inbox and Outbox folders. However, you can customise this area of the Outlook Today page to show a count for any of your Mail folders. Use the Customise Outlook Today button to access a screen where you can specify all your custom settings for how you want Outlook Today to appear. You can control how many days of information are shown in the Calendar, how you want your tasks displayed and sorted and which Mail folders should be displayed in the Messages area. You also are given an option to make Outlook Today your startup page and you can change the style used for Outlook Today to another of the predefined styles provided by Microsoft. Watsonia Publishing Page 6 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
Open File EXITING OUTLOOK 2007 Outlook 2007 conforms to standard Windows conventions and can therefore be closed using either the Exit command on the File menu or by clicking on the Close button at the top right hand corner of the screen. When you close Outlook 2007 you are disconnected from your mail servers. Try This Yourself: Before starting this exercise ensure that Outlook 2007 has started... Select File > Exit Alternatively, you can double click the small Office Button in the top left of the Outlook Title Bar After a few moments Outlook 2007 will close. For Your Reference To exit from Outlook 2007:. Select File > Exit Or. Click on the Close button Handy to Know Since Mail and accessing Contacts is almost an integral part of working with your computer it is better to keep Outlook 2007 minimised rather than close it. Watsonia Publishing Page 7 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics
NOTES: 4 Watsonia Publishing Page 8 Cluster - Outlook 2007 Basics